Box-stamping machine



March 10, 1931. yD Q TEMPEST|N| 1,796,224

BOX STAMPING MACHINE A TTORNEY March 10, 1931- D.'o. TEMPESTINI BOX STAMPING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April ll, 1930 INVENTOR BY @pu/ A TTORNE Y March 10, 1931. D. o. TEMPESTINI BOX STAMPI NG MACHI NE Fl d A F .Ju 1 e prll ll, 1930 3 Sheets Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR 'TORNEY I I' -rla'teaied'vM-m 1o, 1931 nox-armure norman Appncmon :nea April "1i, 1930. seran 110. 443,544.

This invention relates to a machine for stamping boxes of merchandise or any other rectangu ar containers of merchandise, and

y has as 1ts general objectto provide a machine, '"5 extremely simple in construction and adapted to operate automatically to impress upon the opposite'sides of the boxes or other containers any desired advertising matter, the name of the goods, or. any other matter, the machine being so constructed that the boxes may be fed through the machine either before the merchandise has been packed therein or after the boxes have been packed and sealed.

Another object of the invention is to provide in Aa machine for' the purpose stated, an arrangement of printin rolls and a' feeding means for feedlng the oxes between the rolls, the component parts of these means being so arranged and operated as to insure of accuracy in impressing the matter to be printed upon the sides of the boxes. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of this class in which Athe printing rolls may be' readily adjusted so asf to cause them to bear with any desired der; 4

v of any structure found suitable for the purpose, and this frame structure supports a gree of firmness a einst-the opposite sides of the boxes, depending upon the dimensions 4of the boxes.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction .and in the combination and arrangement 'of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specifically pointed. out in the appended claims, it being understood of course that minor changes may be made so long as they fall within thescope of the claims.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the` Several yiews, 'and in which l Figure lis a view in side elevation of the printing machine embodying the invention, al box being shown in position at the beginning ofthe impressing operation.

y Figure 2 isa top plan view of the machine.

Figure 3 is a view in end elevation of the machine.

Figure 4 is a view in elevation illustrating the printing roller and a part of .the means for rotating the same and the ink feeding unit of the machine.

Figure 5 is a diametric sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 4 lookingin the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 6 is a schematic view of the means for supplying ink tov one of the feeding rollers.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional View likewise illustrating-a part of the ink-feeding .mechanism.

` Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 8--8 of Figure 7, looking in the 'direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 9 is -a perspective view illustrating, in a general way, a part of the mechanism provided for lfeeding the boxes past the impression rollers.

The machine comprises a supporting ramestructure which is indicated 1n general-by the numeral 1 and which may be top member 2 which is rovided at opposite sides of its longitu 'nal middle with upstanding parallel guides 3 between which the boxes to be printed are fed, these guides being located at one side of the transverse middle of the top member 2 of the machine and other guides 4 being arranged at the other or delivery side of the said top, corresponding guides being in longitudinal alinement and spaced at their relatively adjacent ends.

The impresslon rolls are indicated in general by the numeral 5 and 'cach of these rolls comprises a cylindrical body 6 which may be made of wood or any other suitable material found suitable for the purpose, and the body is surrounded by a circumferential impression band 7, which is preferably seated in a recess 8 formed circumferentially in the body, and this impression band may be of. rubber or of metal, depending upon the character of the boxes upon which the imuN'lT-D STATES` PATE-N1511"F i i pressions are to be made. Each roller is supported, by 'a spindle 9, for rotation above the surface of the top 2 of the frame, and in mounting the rollers bearing blocks 10 are 5 slidably mounted in boxin s 11 of tubular form, and the ends of t e spindles are journalled in the said blocks. The boxings are mounted at one end upon an upright 12 upon the top member 2 at one side of the impression roller, and the boxings are formed with longitudinal slots 14 to accommodate the shaft ends, the bearings blocks being movable in the boxings. Plugs 16 and 17 are mounted in the'ends of the housings, the plug 16 in that end of each housing which is mounted on the upright 12 and the plug 17 in the other end of each housing, and compression springs 18 and 19 are arranged in each housing and bear, 2o at their inner ends against opposite sides of the bearing block 10 and, at their outer ends, respectively against washers at the ends of adjusting screws 20 and 21 which are mounted in the plugs 16 and 17, respectively, it being understood that the tension of the springs 18 and 19 may be suitably varied by the adjustment of these screws, so that, if a box having a warped side, or, a box which is slightly tilted is passmitted to move, with its spindle and bear- Mkings, so as to compensate for the bulging or tilting.

The inkinv rolls for each impression roll are mounted; upon a base 22 which is suported above the base 2, and one of the rolls 1s indicated by the numeral 23 and the other by the numeral 24. Mounted upon the base 22 is a housing 25, and the'roll 23 is mounted upon a shaft 26, within the housing 25, and lone side of the roll is presented exteriorly of the housing so as to be in surface contact with the roll 24, the roll 24 being mounted in a manner which will presently be explained. In order that ink, supplied to the surface of the roll 23, may he delivered from this roll 4to the surface of the roll 24 in a uniform film and without waste-of'ink, the housing 25 is formed in that side wall at which the roll 23 is mounted, with a rectangular opening 27, and disposed against-the outer face of this wall of each side of the oiening 27 is a baille plate 28 which is provided with slots 29 through which pins 30, secured to the said side wall of the housing, are engaged, and each of the blades 27 is provided at its outer edge with a vertically extending flange 31, and adjusting screws 32 are threaded adjustably through the openings 33 in the re- CG spective end walls of the housing 25, and atv this point it will be understood that by adajting the screws 3l, the baille platesf28 may btl adjusted so as to bring their relatively adjacent vertical edges, which project inwardly C5 from the opposite side of the opening 27,

ing the impression roll, the roll will be per-k into light contact with the surface of the roll 23. It will therefore be seen that as the roll 23 is rotated, ink which is supplied tothe surface thereof by a means to be presently described, will be spread, by the edges of the baille plates 28, so as to supply to the surface of the roll 24, a film. of ink of the uniform density. i

The means, referred to above, for supplying ink to each roll 23, comprises an ink reservoir, indicated in general by the nu* meral 34 and this ink reservoir is preferably ofthe cylindrical form shown in the drawings, and is mounted at the upper end of an ink feeding pipe 35 which extends downwardly within they housing 25 to the lower end thereof and is preferably supported at its lower end upon the bottom of the housing and this pipe is formed with a vertically extending slot 36 and it is through this slot that ink, delivered from the reservoir 34, is supplied to the roll 23. It will be observed by reference to Figure 8 of the drawings, that the ink supply tube is disposed at one side'of the roll 23 and near that side wall of the housing 25 which is presented toward the impression roller By reference to Figure 4 of the drawings as well as to Figures 1 and 2, it will be observed that the roll 24 is mounted upon a spindle 37 for rotation about said spindle, and tension springs 38 are connected to the upper and lower ends of the spindle and at their other ends to rivets or the like indicated by the numeral 39, and located upon the top of the housing 25 and under side of the base 22, res iectively. The said upper and lower en s of the spindle 27 work in notches 40 in flat relatively narrow and elongated plates 4l which are mounted at their ends o posite their ends in which the notches are ormed, upon the upper and lower ends of the spindle 9 for the corresponding print roller 5, and the said rollers 24 are, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4 of the drawings, in con- 110 tact with the surfaces of the impression rolls 5, at the opposite sides of the machine. As stated, the ink reservoir 34 is ofv cylindrical form and arranged within the reservoi'r of each ink supplyunit of the ma- 115 chine, is a circular follower head 42 to the under side of which is secured an annular packing ring 43 of any flexible or semi-flex ible material which is in contact at its outer margin with the inner vsurface of the circum- 120 fercntial wall of the reservoir. A stem 44 is secured at its lower end to the disk 42 axially thereof, and this stem extends upwardly through an opening in the cover for the open top of the reservoir, which cover is in` 125 dicated by the numeral 45, and the opening through which the stem extends is threaded j as also the stem, vthe latter as indicated by the. numeral 46, and a hand wheel 47 is mounted upon the upper end of the stem 130 to above, and likewise the means provided for rotatingr the impress/ion rollers in `consonance with the speed of feeding of the boxes, comprises two rack bars 49 which are mounted at op osite sides of the base 2, and gears, mounted upon the lower ends of the shafts 9 of the respective rolls 5, are indicated by the numeral 50 and are` in 'mesh with the respective rack bars 49, and these bars are disposed slidably in Contact with the guides 3, heretofore referred to, and in order that the rack bars 49 may travel in a' smooth and even manner, anti-friction roll- Aers 51 are mounted in suitable bearings at the under sides of the bars and these rollers travel over the surfaces of the base 2.

The inking rolls 23 and 24 are of course rotated through the rotation of the respective printing rollers 5 and the rollers 5 are in turn rotated through the medium of a means to -be presently described, and it will be understood from the foregoing that when the boxes are successively fed between the impression rollers, impressions will be simultaneously made on the opposite sides of each box.

The feeding means, referred to above, comprises two shafts indieated by the numerals -52 and 53 which are mounted in suitable bearings upon the under side of the top 2 of `the frame of the machine, and pairs of sprocket gears 54 and 55 are mounted upon the shafts 52 and 53, respectively.

The numeral 56 indicates a shaft which is mounted below the shaft 52 in a vertical plane therewith, and fixed u on the shaft 52 is a gear 57 which is in-mes with a pinion 58 upon the shaft 56, a pulley 59 being likewise fixed upon the shaft 56 and a belt 60 being trained about this pulley and a pulley 61 of less diameter, upon the shaft 62 of an electric motor 63 which is mountedy upon a' base plate 64 supported adjustably by threaded uprights 65 located at one end of the lsaid plate and held in positions-of vertical adjustment by means of nuts 66 threaded upon the said uprights, the other end of the plate being supported upon a bracket 67, mounted upon one end member of the frame structure. Inthis manner rotary motion is imparted `to the sprocket gear 53 and, through the medium of sprocket chains 60 to the sprocket gear 54, the chains being trained about respective onesof -the respective sprocket gears 54 and 55.

The numeral 69 indicates a pair of arms which are riveted or otherwise secured, at their inner ends to corresponding links of the chains 68, so as to project outwardly from the said chains, and pressure rollers are mounted at their ends at the outer ends of the arms 69, so as to be supported for rotation thereby.

In order that the arms and the rollers supported thereby maybe carried by the stretches of the chain 68 longitudinally of the machine, the machine top 2 is formed with a lon itudinal opening 72, midway between the impression rolls 5, it being'understood that the arms 69 and the rollers.70

opening when travel is imparted to the sprocket chains 68.

As shown in Figure 9, the rack bars 49 are connected at one end by a transverse frame member 73 having an abutment portion 74 against-which the rolls 70 are to engage and the abutment portion 74 is ,designed to engage a ainst one end of the box to be printed as s own in Figure l.

In the operation of the machine, the boxes, indicated by the reference character B, are placed between the guides 3 and shoved forwardly over the top 2 and, as the sprocket chains 68 travel their upper stretches carry the arms 69 and the pressure roller 7 0 around the sprocket gears 54, and the roller 70 is brought into engagement with the abutment portion 74, as clearly shown-in Figures l and 3 of the drawings. 4In the continued travel of the sprocket chains 68, the box is moved between the guides 3 and between the impression rolls and the opposite sides of the box are thus impressed with the matter which it is desired to display thereon.

After leaving the rollers 5, the box is still advanced over the surface. of the top 2 through the medium of the roller 54 and abutment portion 74, and in thefmeantime,

another one of the pushing units has been brought to position adjacent' the s rocket gears 55, so as to be carried upwar ly and into engagement with another box, which has been, in the meantime, disposed upon the top 2 between the guides 3. After delivery of the impressed boxes to position between the guides 3, the boxes may be removed from the said top 2.

It will be evident that inasmuch as the springs 38 serve yto hold the inking rolls 24 in engagement with the rolls 23, the rolls 24 will only engage the surfaces of the impressionrolls 5 at thev portions thereof which ybear the impressing characters in raised 8(1A supported thereby,'may pass through tHi-sfd i bar and the cables are led beneath the rack'.v bar toward the other end thereof and over as the raisedl impressing characters on the rolls 5v pass the said rolls 24.

In order that the rack bars 49 may be automatically returned to their initial position,

after each box has travelled past the im- -pression rolls 5, cables 75 are connected' at one end as at 76, to one end of each rack idle ulleys 77 which are suspended beneath the ase 2, and each cable is then passed about an idle pulley 78 mounted at the upper end of a counter-weight 79 and then led ugwardly and connected tol a yoke 80 suspen ed from the mounting in which the respec- V tive idle pulley 77 is arranged.

'- having a reduced upper en r rotatably in an opening 89 formed in the In order that the inking rolls and in fact each `entire inking unit including the housing 23, reservoir 34, and the parts associated therewith, may be ad'usted transversely of ,l the support 22, and t us adapting the marint u on the sides of boxes of different widths, Y ed between said impression chine to rolls, the support 22 is provided with upstanding ortions 81 and screws 82 are threadedt rough these portions and bear against the wall of the housing beside the wall in which the opening 27 is formed and, in order that thehousings may be guided in their shifting adjustment, a headed stud 85 is provided upon the bottom of each housing and headed at its lower end, and this stud works in a slot 84 formed in the supportin member 22. Another slot 85 is lforme in each su porting member and the shaft upon which the inking roll 23 is mounted, is provided with a reduced lowerend 86.

which works inl this slot, said lower end of the shaft engagin -rotatably in an openinfg 87 in the bottom o the housin and the sha t 88 engaging to of the housing.

hat I claim is 1. In a box printing machine, spaced printing rolls for impressing matter on the opposite sides of a box, and means for feeding boxes successively between the rolls, the said means comprising parallel travelling chains, means operated by the box feeding means and including an abutment for operating the printing rolls, arms extending from the chains, and an abutment roller supported between the arms to engage the abutpinent at one end of a box.

2. In a box printing machine, spaced "printing rolls'for impressing matter on they rolls, the said means comprisin a gear rotatable with each roll, spaced rac bars "meshgears, and means for shifting for surface contact with the printing rolls,

means for supplyin ink to the printing rolls, means for fee ing a box between the printing rolls with the rolls in contact .with

the opposite sides of the box, the said means comprising s aced shafts', sprocket gears upon the sha chains trained about said gears, means for imparting rotary motion toone of said shafts, and abutment members extending between the chainsto impart sliding movement to the box, and chain carried means engaging the abutment members for rotating said printing rolls in consonance with the speed of travel of the box between the rolls.

4f. In a box printing machine, spaced printing rolls for impressing matter on the opposite sides of a box, inking rolls mounted for surface contact with the printing rolls, means for supplp'lng ink to the printing rolls, means for eeding a box between the printing rolls with the rolls in contact with the opposite sides of the-box, the said means comprising spaced shafts, sprocket gears upon the shafts, chains trained about said gears, means for imparting rotary motion to one ofsaid shafts, abutment members extending between the chains to impart sliding movement to the box, means for rotating said printing rolls in consonance with the speed of travel of the box between the rolls, the means for rotating the rolls comprising a gear rotatable with each roll, spaced rack bars meshing with the gears, arms 'extending from the chains, and a roll'supported between the arms and engageable with the said abutment member.

5. In a box printing machine, spaced printing rolls for impressing matter on the opposite sides of a box, inking rolls mounted for surface contact with the printing rolls, means for supplying ink to the printing rolls, means for feeding a box between the printing rolls with the rolls in contact with the opposite sides of the box, the said means comprising spaced shafts, sprocket gears upon the shafts, chains trained about said gears, means for imparting rotary motion to one Aof said shafts, abutment members extending between the chains to impart sliding movement to the box, means for rotating said printing rolls in consonance with the speed of travel of the box between the rolls, the means for rotating the rolls comprising a gear rotatable with each roll, spaced rack bars meshing with the gears, arms extending from the chains, anda roll supported between the arms and engageable with the said abutment member, and means forautomatically returnin the rack bars to their initial positions wlgien the box has passed between the printing rolls.

6. In a box printing machine, spaced printing rolls for impressing matter on the opposite sides of a box, inking rolls mounted for surface Contact with the printing rolls,

means for suppl 'ng ink to the printing rolls, means for eeding a box' between the printing rolls with the rolls in contact with the opposite sides of the box, the said means Comprising s aced shafts, sprocket gears upon the sha s, chains trained about said gears, means for imparting rotary motion to one of said shafts, abutment members extending between the chains to impart slicing movement to the box, means for rotating said printing rolls in consonance with the speed of travel of the box between the rolls, the means for rotating the rolls comprising a gear rotatable with each roll, spaced rack bars meshing with the gears, arms extending from the chains, and a roll supported between the arms and engageable with the said abutment member, and means for automatically returnin the rack bars to their initial positions w en the box has passed between the printing rolls, the said means comprising cables connected to the rack bars, pulleys over which the cables are trained, and counter lweights suspended from the cables.

7. In a box printing machine, spaced printing rolls for im ressing matter on the opposite sides of a ox, shafts sup orting the printing rolls, bearings in which t e ends of the shafts are rotatably mounted, tubular boxes in which the bearings are mounted .for movement toward and from the path of Vtravel of the box to be printed, and com ression springs in said boxes engaging the earings and urging the same in the first mentioned direction, inking rolls mounted for surface contact with the printing rolls, means for supplyin ink to the printing rolls, means for fee ing a box between the printing rolls with the rolls in contact with the opposite sides of the box, and means for rotating said printing rolls in consonance with the speed of travel of the box between the rolls.

8. In a box printing machine, spaced printing rolls for impressing matter on the opposite sides of a box, shafts supporting the printing rolls, bearings in which the ends of the shafts are rotatably mounted, tubular boxes in which the bearings are mounted for movement toward and rom the path of travel of the box to `be printed, and comvpression springs in said boxes engaging the earings and urging the same in the first mentioned direction, inking rolls mounted for surface contact with the printing rolls, means for supplying ink to the printing rolls, means for feeding a box between the printing rolls with the rolls in contact with the opposite sides of the box, means for rotating said printing rolls in consonance with the speed of travel of the box between the rolls, and means for adjusting the tension of the said springs.

9. In a box printing machine, spaced printing rolls for impressing matter on the opposite sides of a box, shafts supporting the printino` rolls, bearin sin which the ends of the shaits are rotata ly mounted, tubular boxes in which the bearings are mounted for movement toward and from the path of travel of the box to be printed, and compression springs in said boxes engaging the opposite sides of the bearings.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

DANTE O. TEMPESTINI.

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